Adjustable bed-bottom.



No. 813,458. A PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906. v J. SHEPHERD.

ADJUSTABLE BED BOTTOM. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 28, 1905.

WITNESSES INvENToR.

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'- zen oitheUnited States, Toledo, in the county of the main body portion hasjfor its object to strong, convenient,

PATENT on'rion.

' JOHN SHEPH RD,

ADJUSTABLE Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed September 28,1905. Serial No. 280.414.

OF TOLEDO, OHIO. BEYDI-BOTTOM.

Patented. Feb. 27,1906.

'To all whom; it'mdy concern.-

' Be it known that I, J OHN SHEPHERD, a citi- Lucas and State of Ohio, have invented anew and use Improvement in Adjustable Bed-Bottoms, of

which the following is a specification,

My invention re ates to bed-bottoms, and rovide a bed-bottom with "an improved justable head-section that is simple in construction and adapted tobe readily raised and lowered and firmly supported at various degrees of inclination from I of the bed-bottom without increasing or diminishing the distance between the tops of the springs.

A further object is to provide a light, and durable bed-bottom I having a movable head-section that adapt 'ed ,to, be piv'otally raised and "lowered with meansto support and toautomatically lo ck' {the head-section at'any desired degree of mclina tion from the main body portion of the a bed-bottom as 3' bed-bottom.

I accomplish these objects b constructin hereinafter escribed, an

. illustratedin the drawings, in which-- connecting the stringers,

' in like manner atthesame intervals and are Figure 1 is a top view of a bed-bottom con- I structed n accordance with my invention. Fig; .2 1s a side elevation of the same, and Fig 3- is an enlarged detail View of thebail-stirru v a n" the drawings, 1 re resents the main frame of a bed-bottom, w ich comprisesthe side stringers 2,, he middle stringer 3, the cross-bars 4:, and

the head-end'bar 5, cross- 2 are arranged. parallel with the mi dle strin er 3 central between and parallel with the side stringers, and the side strin ers are cross-connected atright angles atfthe head end b the head end bar 5, which is framed into t e end portions of the stringers with the top of the barfiush with the tops and ends of the stringers.

, 6 represents the head-section, which cornprises the side bars 7 and thecross-bars 8.

'Th cross-barsA are arrangedparallel with tops of the stringers at and secured to the regular intervals from the foot end'toward thehead, and the cross'bars 8 are arranged securedto the topsof the side bars 7 from flush withthe head end toward the foot, and

and a resident of The side strin ers the sidebars 7 of the head-section are of such.

' length that'when the head ends oi'the bars are flush with the ers2 and resting on the cross-bar 5 theirmner ends exten to the The side bars 7 are arranged slightly convergin toward their head ends at such distanee om each other that "the inner ends of the bars pass freely, but not loosely, between the inner .faces of'the stringers 2,,- and when in such position the head cross-bar 8 is above the headend bar 5 vand 4 bar 8 is at the regular interval of the crossbars from the next adjacent cross-bar 4.

The side stringers 2 are 'each'provided with a slot 9, which extends horizontally and centrally lengthwise of 7 each stringer from a point near the innermost point beyond the innermost cross-bar 8, and the inner end portions of the sidebars 7 are provided with transverse orifices, through which and through the slots 9 extend the outward and op ositely angled and alined end portions 10 oi the V haped bail 11, which at the apex is angled to form a locking-stirrup 12 at right angles to the plane of the arms 13 of-thebail, the stirrup 12 being adapted to drop over the middle stringer 3 and support the arms in the plane of theslots 9, as shown in Fig. 3. v p

The side bars 7 are linked to the side stringem 2 by the link-rods 14, which have oppositely-angled end portioris15, pivotally secured,preferably by thenuts 1'5 ,respeotively to. the stringers and theside bars in suitable orifices transversethe stringers and the bars,

side bars 7 being between theirpivotal connection to the stringers and the inner ends of the side bars and-the body portions ol the link-rods in their normal lowered position heing'between the side stringers and the con- ;ver ing side bars. Thus construdtd'when the ead-seotion is raised by lifting the headend cross-bar 8 the .links form shil'ting-lulcrums, which rise 0 positely to the head-section and upon wliie the head-section pivotally turns as it rises, thereby drawing the inner ends of the side bars of the head-section forward. The inner ends of the side bars 7 of the head-sectionbeing pivoted on the journals T0 of the bail being confined by'and pivotally movable along the slots 9 of the stringers, the raising nearest cross-bar 4.

the pivotal connection of the linkrods to the head ends of the side string- 1 the innermost cross:

cross-bare to a v a ward the head end I reason of their construction and of their 1o of the head=section of the angle of inclination of the side bars 7 to the stringers 2 a movement of the inner ends of the side bars and the bail-journals toward the head end of the bottom-frame along the slots of the side stringers, and the shifting of the bail-stirrup along the middle stringer toof the main frame. Bv

side bars of the head-secers 2 the link-rods also form lateral braces or the head-section when in raised positions, which prevent the headframe from swaying sidewise.

The head-end portion of the middle stringer '3 is provided with a toothed rack-plate '16, which is secured to the top face of-the stringer. The rack-teeth are adapted to permit movecation between the tion and the strin ment of the bail-stirrup toward the head and movement in the opposite dilock it against constructed, when the headrection. Thus section is raised to the desired angle from the main frame the bail-stirrup slides forward over the middle stringer 3 and drops by gravity into engagement with a tooth of the rack and locks the head-section in the desiredposition, in which it is firmly supported and braced by the joint action of the link-rods and the bail, the stirrup 12, engaging the middle stringer, and the arms '13 of the bail together forming a truss-brace for the inner end portions of the side bars of the headsec tion. 'lo release the bail and permit lowering of the head-section, there is attached to the stirrup 12 of the bail a cord 18, which ex tends u )ward to a cross-bar 8 and alon r the cross-bar, through suitable guides, to one side of-the head-section, where apendcnt portion forms a convenient means of lifting the bail above theteeth of the rack by pulling on the cord.

As constructed, the stirru p 12 of the bail forms both a guide and a prompt and sure latch for the bail. The arms 13, diverging from the stirrup, form truss-braces for the inner end portions of the side bars of the headsection, and their angled end portions 10 form pivots and slides for the bail and the in- 1101' end of the head-section, while the linkrods 14,forn1 both supports and lateral braces for the head-section in raised positions, the combined effect of being when the headsection is raised or lowered to produce a direct forward or rearward movement of the inner end of the head-section and the bail along the slots of the side stringers, it being apparent that with my form of bail and link-rods, byreason of the side engagement of the stirrup with the middle stringer and the lateral bracing of the link rods they prevent any side swaying of the head-section and the binding and friction which would thereby be produced. Such construction also makes it practicable to reduce the number and size of the stringers and the bail and'the link-rods l causes a constant increase I the weight of the bed-bottom without materially reducing its strength.

Uponthe cross-bars 4 and 8 are mounted the cone-springs 19 at regular intervals on each bar and in cross-rows transverse the bars, and they'are interconnected at their top portions by the, helical springs 20, as shown in part in lfigs. 1 and 2. It is manifest that so mounted the tops of the conesprings 19 of the contiguous cross-bars 4 and 8 will remain substantially at the same lateral distance whatever'angle of inclination is given to the head-sect on, for the reason that as the angle increases-the movement is such that the tops of the springs of the cross-bar 8 are only tilted rearward from the plane of the springs of themain frame to the angle of the head-section as the bottom of the springs are drawn forward and upward in an are, as shown in Fig. 2, and it is also manifest that the nature of the movement precludes the possibility of the springs-of the head-section becoming interlocked with the springs of the i main frame by the movement of the headsection, the flexibilityof the interconnecting l helical springs 20 permitting the adjustment of the tops of the springs of the head-section at an an le to, the plane of the tops of the springs of the main frame without percepti- "ble strain or tension thereof and without either crowding together or spreading apart the adjacent rows of springs of the head-section and the main frame;

I am aware that bed-bottoms having adjustable head-sections provided with a bail and link-bars and intended to have similar movement, as herein described, have been made and described in patents, and I do not herein broadly claim themeans to produce such movement; but I am also aware that such bed-bottoms have been found im ractical and unsatisfactory by reason of t e liab lity of the head-section to sway out of alinement with the main frame, and thereby become frictionally locked in position where further pivotal movement of the head-sec 5 tion and the bail is prevented, and my invention consists in the improved construction herein described, whereby such defective operation is wholly prevented and the desired l adjustability of the head-section is attained and made practical.

What I claim to be new is:-

In an adjustable bed-bottom, the combination with the framel, having the slotted side stringers 2, the middle" stringer 3 provided with the rack 16, and the head-section 6, having the side bars 7 of the \l-shaped bail 11, having the stirrup 12 at the apex adapted to engage the rack and move along the top and sides of the middle stringer" as a guide, and the truss-arms 13 diverging from the stirrup and having their outer end portions 10 angled oppositely in alinement and extended through the inner end portions of the side vside bars, and the link-rods 14 having end bars of the heed-section and through the slots In witness whereof I have hereunto signed of the side stringers at right angles to the side my name in the presence of two subscribing to stringers, the angled end portions 10 forming witnesses his 25th day of September, 1905. both pivots and slides for the bail and the N RD portions 15 angled opposite, and pivotally Witnesses:

connectmg the side bars to the side stringers, WESLEY J. WUERFEL, substantially as and for the purpose set forth. I E. C. FORRESTER, 

